RTO may make speed governors must for dumper trucks

by Kanika Bansal ·
Published November 9, 2016
· Updated November 12, 2016

The Regional Transport Office (RTO) Dehradun is mulling to install Speed Limiting Devices (SLD) in all registered dumper trucks to curb road accidents in the city. The speed governors would limit the speed of the heavy vehicles to 40kmph.

In October, the city witnessed a series of fatal accidents that involved speeding dumper trucks.

Talking to TOI, Arvind Pandey, assistant regional transport officer (ARTO) Enforcement said, “We have received frequent complaints by concerned residents that dumpers are speeding and driving recklessly. The installation of speed governors was proposed during the district road safety committee meeting held last week.”

“The dumpers involved in mining speed as they want to increase the frequency of their trips. But by doing so, they violate traffic norms and risk lives of commuters,” said Pandey.

According to a notification issued by the central government in 2015, all new transport vehicles such as trucks, buses, dumpers and mini buses seeking registration after October 1, 2015, were required to install speed governors to limit their speed at 80kmph. The owners of existing commercial vehicles were asked to install speed limiting devices by April 2016. The deadline was then extended to November 2016.

“We are now going through the list of dumpers registered in RTO Dehradun. They will be sent notices to install speed governors or will be asked to install these devices during renewal of fitness certificates,” said Pandey.

In October, five people were crushed to death in a week in separate accidents involving rashly driven dumpers. On October 17, a couple died after a dumper hit their two-wheeler on the Shimla by-pass route. A couple died in Gorakhpur area after being hit by a dumper on October 14. A woman died while her husband was injured after their vehicle was hit by a dumper.